Saturday, January 11, 2014

Dershowitz: Christie Could Face Criminal Prosecution for Bridge-gate

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie could face criminal prosecution
over the George Washington Bridge lane closures if it is found anyone
was harmed because of them, Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz
says.

Appearing Thursday on CNN,
Dershowitz singled out the case of the 91-year-old woman who died after
emergency personnel were slowed in reaching her because of the
September lane closures. If it is shown the woman would have lived if
help had arrived sooner, Christie could be charged because of "willful
negligence," he said.

Christie apologized in a press conference
earlier Thursday after it was revealed that two of his aides had
orchestrated lane closures on the bridge leading from Fort Lee, N.J.,
into New York City. Text messages between the two indicated the closures
were intended as political punishment for Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich
for not supporting Christie in his re-election bid.

Though Christie has denied knowing about the action before Wednesday,
critics charge the governor set a climate that would have led the aides
to think he would approve. The New York Times ran a story in December on examples of people who believed Christie had taken revenge on them.

It is for that reason, Dershowitz argued on CNN, that if Christie is
charged he should be tried in New York so he would not be able to take
revenge on New Jersey judges and prosecutors.

"Clearly the people who originated the traffic jams and approved them
are guilty and probably guilty of crimes," Dershowitz said. "Their
actions led directly to very significant harms, particularly if they can
demonstrate that the woman died as a result of the traffic jam."

Christie fired deputy chief of staff Bridget Anne Kelly, who exchanged
messages with former Port Authority official David Wildstein over
closing the lanes that backed up traffic for four days.

But Kelly and Wildstein could decide to make a deal with prosecutors to
implicate Christie, Dershowitz said, even if there was only a hint that
the governor created an "atmosphere" that led them to believe he would
back their actions.

"There is a concept known as willful blindness," Dershowitz said. "It
depends on the evidence and whether the two people he fired decide to
get revenge and say, 'Wait a minute, we are not taking the fall for this
whole thing.'"